After Roseanne Blames Ambien For Tweet, Sanofi Says Sleep Aid's Side Effects Don't Include Racism

Sanofi SA (ADR) SNY fired back Wednesday after Roseanne Barr blamed its sleep aid Ambien for a racist tweet that drew public backlash and prompted ABC to cancel “Roseanne.”

What Happened

The previous morning, Barr tweeted that if “muslim brotherhood & planet of the apes had a baby = vj” in reference to Valerie Jarrett, former aide to President Barack Obama.

Barr soon replaced the post with an apology but, after a long day of criticism and significant media attention, eventually blamed her insomnia drug.

"It was 2 in the morning and I was ambien tweeting - it was memorial day too - I went 2 far & do not want it defended - it was egregious Indefensible,” she tweeted.

The Response

To be fair, Sanofi does list “abnormal thinking and behavioral changes” including “decreased inhibition” in aggression in its Ambien information sheet. But critics responded to Barr’s claim with humor-laced skepticism.

Barr maintained the Ambien defense in spite of the backlash.

"Yes, I have had odd ambien experiences on tweeting late at night-like many other ppl do. I BLAME MYSELF OK?" she tweeted in response to one critic.